Star India is all set to reimagine VIVO Indian Premier League 2018 by making one of India’s biggest sporting spectacle more engaging and bringing it even closer to cricket fans across the country. For the first time ever, Star India will broadcast live matches of the league in 6 different languages targeting an unprecedented reach of 700 million fans across TV and Digital.

This season, IPL will not be a 2-month property but a 6-month long fiesta – starting with the retention event which was viewed by 8.1 million viewers and quickly became the most talked about topic on social media. For the upcoming auctions, fans for the first time will be able to get their voice heard by voting for their favourite players at vivoiplelection.hotstar.com for ‘Election se Selection’ campaign on the network.

Furthermore, unparalleled in sports broadcasting in India thus far, Star India will stream Vivo IPL on Hotstar in Virtual Reality. This immersive VR experience will make it possible for fans to come closer to the high-octane matches within the comfort of their homes. Moreover, viewers will also be able to select camera angles and commentary language of their choice, offering further customisation through the “Super-fan feed”. In addition, fans will be able to enjoy a social experience on Hotstar with cricket emojis to enhance the viewing and sharing experience. The interplay of TV and Digital offers advertisers an unprecedented opportunity to build brands across platforms.

Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director, Star India, comments,“Over its 10-year journey, the IPL has grown into the single biggest property by far on Indian television. And now that it is on the Star India network across both, television and digital, we are set to use the confluence of technology, consumer insight, and experience in cricket coverage, to broaden the outreach and experience even further. The VIVO IPL 2018 will be a 6-month-long fiesta with new-age technology putting fans at the heart of the experience. We are confident that the VIVO IPL 2018, as re-imagined by Star India, will empower viewers, advertisers and the media & entertainment eco system of India with greater convenience and viewing pleasure, audience deliveries and all-round growth.”

Rahul Johri, CEO, BCCI shared, “Over the last decade, the BCCI has transformed the Indian Premier League from a radical new idea into India’s biggest sporting phenomenon and despite the scale of its success, the sky remains the limit for the VIVO IPL 2018. In Star India, we have a partner that not only believes in the immense potential of the IPL, but also believes in pushing the boundaries of sports broadcasting, which gives it the power and ability to take the IPL to even greater heights. With even richer content across a six-month entertainment calendar, we are happy it will delight a much larger number of cricket lovers across the length and breadth of India.”

This season, IPL will not be a 2-month property but a 6-month long fiesta – starting with the retention event which was viewed by 8.1 million viewers and became the most talked about topic on social.